“Man is born to trouble as spark flies upward.” (Job 5:7) Trouble, tribulation, temptations, pain, suffering, and afflictions are inevitable aspects of human life. David portrays different kinds of darkness that bothered or overwhelmed him. (Psalms 143:3-4) It does not just affect the body, the inner person – the soul. Amid all these a disciple comes out victorious. It indeed becomes a glorious experience.
Persecution: David could have remembered the persecution by Saul and the rebellion by Absalom. Like David, many Christians would cry that the enemy (Satan) has persecuted them through various means including using ignorant but ruthless humans. It could be individuals, organizations, and even governments. In many places, and at many times in history, the persecution helped the church to grow.
Crushed: Like a boxer or wrestler is pinned down, David felt his life crushed to the ground. That means being unable to stand up and face the enemy. That is only temporary. David’s resilience is that he springs up with more power, passion, and strength. “For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God, I can leap over a wall.” (Psalm 18:29) That means he can face a troop alone and jump over the huge walls that defend the cities.
Darkness: It meant that David had to live or hide in caves and dens. His enemies tried to push him into hiding or flee. David knew God was the light of salvation. (Psalms 27:1) For Christians, there could be valleys of death, where darkness reigns. But they need not to fear evil, as the Lord is with them. (Psalms 23:4) At the cross when the Lord died carrying the burden of the sin of the world and shedding his lost drop of blood, there were three hours of darkness. (Matthew 27:45)
Overwhelmed: David prophetically experienced and expressed the agony of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Garden of Gethsemane, the Lord experienced spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional agony, which was exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. (Matthew 26:38)
Do I face the crisis with courage and a triumphant attitude?